Queen of Books: 10/20/19

Sunday, 20 October 2019

SEPTEMBER '19 WRAP-UP

Time for another wrap up!

September wasn't too busy besides the fact that I started my first part-time job which takes some getting used to.

I only read six books this month but I enjoyed all of them and even had a five star read! I am working on getting back into blogging, but I am focusing more of my time on writing my novel especially since nanowrimo is fast approaching.

Anyways...

Time to talk about the books I read this month.

PHYSICAL BOOKS

The first book I read was Stain by A.G. Howard. Stain is about Lyra who is a princess incapable of speech or sound and is cast out of her kingdom by her wicked aunt. A witch takes her in and raises her in an enchanted forest where she is disguised as a boy known as Stain. In the rival kingdom, the prince is dying and the only person who can save him is Lyra as she is his true equal. It took me awhile to get into this book as it is a little slow at the beginning and a little confusing, however once i got through the first couple of chapters, I ended up really loving this one. I really enjoyed both Lyra and the prince who's name was Vesper and I loved the dark setting. It is supposed to be a retelling of The Princess and the Pea but there are elements of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella mixed in with it. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The second book I read was Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. This was described as Mulan meets Project Runway which is such an accurate description for this book. It's about Maia who dreams of being the greatest tailor in the world, however since she's a girl she is sure that it will never happen. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father to court, Maia takes his place by posing as a boy. She knows she will be killed if her secret is discovered but she takes the risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. Maia ends up being one of twelve tailors vying for the job as court tailor which she did not know. She has to engage in a competition with the other tailors in order to get the coveted spot. She is sure that it won't be that complicated but boy is she wrong. I really enjoyed Maia as well as Edan who was the court magician as well as her love interest. I am probably going to write a full review but I ended up rating this one 4 Crowns.

The third book I read was Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen. This is a book that I've had on my shelf for a long time and I never picked it up until now. Stolen Songbird is about Cecile who is an aspiring opera singer until she is kidnapped by a former friend and taken beneath the mountain to be sold to the trolls in exchange for gold. She is then forced to bond/marry Prince Tristan to fulfill a prophecy to break a centuries old curse cast upon the trolls which has prevented them from ever coming back to the human realm. Cecile gets caught up in a revolution brewing between the trolls in servitude and the aristocracy. She is also trying to prove her usefulness and protect Prince Tristan from his father who grows tired of her not fulfilling her duty. I loved this book. The characters were so interesting and the story was so unique. I loved how we got to see trolls who are not ugly creatures on the outside but are complex, powerful, clever, ruthless and sometimes beautiful. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The fourth book I read was Circe by Madeline Miller. Circe is a book that I have been hearing so much about and though I've never read her previous books, I knew I had to try this one. I really enjoyed this one as I liked how Madeline Miller transformed the greek myths and epics to suit her own story with a badass female lead. Circe is a character that isn't explored much in greek mythology, apart from usually being the villain, however in this story we get to see her character in a different light. From the beginning she is shown to be a brilliant, clever woman. I don't want to say much because it would spoil a lot of the book but I loved Circe's character and her relationship with others. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

The fifth book I read was The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. I have recently been getting into adult romantic comedies and I love them. This one is about Olive who believes she is unlucky in everything while her twin sister has things handed to her. When her sister and her new husband get food poisoning (along with the rest of the wedding party/guests), she insists that Olive goes on her all expenses paid honeymoon. Olive agrees but she is mad when she finds out she has to go with her sister's husband's brother, Ethan, aka the person that Olive has had a rivalry with since they met. They agree to go together as long as they don't see each other for most of the vacation, however Olive runs into her new boss while in Hawaii and has to pretend that Ethan is her husband which forces the two of them to spend time together. I thought this was such a hilarious and cute romantic comedy and I love the fake dating trope. I think this has shot up to be one of my favorite books of the year. I rated it 5 Crowns!

The sixth book I read was Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev. Pride and Prejudice is probably my favorite classic and this one is a retelling of that book. This is about Dr. Trisha Raje who is San Francisco's most acclaimed neurosurgeon but her influential immigrant family think that's not enough. The Rajes have three non-negotiable rules: never trust an outsider, never do anything to jeopardize your brother's political aspirations and never defy your family. Unfortunately, Trisha is guilty of breaking all three of these rules but now she has a chance to redeem herself. Enter up-and-coming chef DJ Caine who has known people like Trisha before. He needs the job that the Rajes offer but he values his pride too much to indulge Trisha's arrogance and then he discovers that she's the only surgeon who can save his sister's life. I loved this book especially since it's kind of a gender swapped Pride and Prejudice story. Trisha is the Mr. Darcy character (though DJ Caine's real name is Darcy) and DJ is the Lizzie character. I rated this one 4 Crowns.

AUDIOBOOKS READ

NONE THIS MONTH

ARC'S READ

NONE

REVIEWS IN JUNE + JULY + AUGUST:

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal Book Review

WEEKLY WRAP-UP:

9/9 - 9/15

9/16 - 9/29

DISCUSSIONS/OTHER:

Summer Bookish Bingo Wrap-Up '19

Anticipated Releases for the Rest of 2019!

FAVORITE COVER OF THE MONTH:

NEW FICTIONAL BAE'S:

Vesper from Stain by A.G. Howard

Edan from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Tristan from Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Ethan from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

NEW FAVORITE FEMALES:

Lyra from Stain by A.G. Howard

Maia from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Cecile from Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Circe from Circe by Madeline Miller

Olive from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Trisha from Pride and Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev

NEW FAVORITE BOOK RELATIONSHIPS:

Lyra and Vesper from Stain by A.G. Howard

Edan and Maia from Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Tristan and Cecile from Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Olive and Ethan from The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

TV SHOWS I WATCHED THIS MONTH: